This invention relates to the field of printed circuit boards. More particularly, this invention relates to printed circuit boards having a fiber reinforced substrate which can be processed in a manner similar to rigid printed circuit board or hardboards but thereafter are bendable to retain multiplanar shapes.
The process for manufacturing a rigid printed circuit board or hardboard is well known in the art. The hardboard is produced in a panel form with the particular circuitry being etched, plated, screened or stamped thereon. Rigid printed circuit board of this type must necessarily only be used for single-plane hardboard applications since any bending would result in cracking and/or breaking.
In order to connect single-plane hardboards to other hardboards within the electronic device, expensive multiboard interconnections must be utilized. These interconnectors add both to parts costs and labor costs as well as increasing the complexity of a given installation. Multiplane circuitry can be achieved by:
1. Combinations of two or more rigid board segments interconnected by flexible jumper cables. PA1 2. The mother-daughter board arrangement, using edge card connectors and, PA1 3. Building a flexible circuit which is then selectively stiffened in sections which are designed for component mounting.
The above-discussed well known problems of building multiplanar circuits with both conventional rigid and flexible circuit boards have been overcome and alleviated by a novel bendable, shape retaining circuit board material described in U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 filed Sept. 20, 1985, which is assigned to the assignee hereof, all of the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This material is commercially available from Rogers Corporation, Rogers, Connecticut under the trademark BEND/flex. The circuit board material of prior U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 is made utilizing conventional hardboard processes. The circuit board is produced in sheet form, and can be converted into a printed circuit by using conventional hardboard processing techniques including component mounting. Thereafter, the unique properties of the prior material allow the printed circuit board to be formed into a predetermined three dimensional shape and thereafter mounted into electronic equipment. The formed printed circuit board will not crack and has sufficient stiffness to retain its shape after installation.
The manufacturing process of the circuit material of U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 includes forming a nonwoven web substrate of polyester and glass fibers, impregnating and saturating the web with an epoxy solution, and thereafter drying the web to drive off any solvent. The dry, tacky web is then laminated on one or both sides with sheets of copper to form a sheet of printed circuit board material. As with hardboard material, the sheet can be etched, punched, drilled or blanked out to form any desired circuit configuration and finally, the circuit with the mounted components can be formed or bent into a multiplanar configuration.
An important feature of the circuit material of U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 is its bendability and shape retention at room temperature. This key feature is achieved by carefully selecting the epoxy resin to exhibit a glass transition temperature (Tg) at or near room temperature. The Tg is typically in the range of 10-60.degree. C. and preferably about 40-50.degree. C. This glass transition is broad and spreads over 20-30.degree. C. In addition to the epoxy matrix and nonwoven fabric web of glass and polyester fibers, the commercial bendable composite also includes flame retardant fillers.
As stated, the formable/bendable circuit material described above can be used to solve the problem of multiplane interconnections at a relatively lower cost than conventional techniques. In concept, portions of the bendable board function as the rigid segments while other portions of the same board function as the "flexible" interconnections in a multiplane configuration.
While well suited for its intended purposes, the circuit material of U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 does suffer from several problems related to its thermal properties including a perceived need for both improved plated through hole reliability and improved heat resistance. The circuit material of U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in the Z-direction above the glass transition temperature of about 300-400ppm/.degree.C. which limits the plated through hole reliability of the laminate in double clad circuit applications.
Also, the circuit material of U.S. Ser. No. 778,603 is comprised of polyester fibers which melt near standard solder reflow temperatures (250-260.degree. C.) This may cause the prior art bendable circuit material to suffer from surface blistering and bulk structural fusion of the fibers' network during solder reflow processing.